In what many experts see as an alarming use of the World Wide Web, the BBC Click program is set to screen a documentary which gained unauthorised access to around 22,000 machines via in an underground forum, using malware. While the 22,000 machines which were potentially at risk received specific instructions from the BBC as to how they could clean their computers, some experts feel the actions of the BBC may have breached UK computer hacking laws.
The makers of the program also set up two new e-mail accounts, one Gmail and one Hotmail, to demonstrate how spam could be sent to these accounts using a botnet. There was also some collaboration with an online security firm to show how easy it was to block access to a backup test site, the likes of which are becoming more and more vital in the online arena.
The BBC has already confirmed that legal advice was taken prior to the making of the documentary but those in the industry believe it may be counter-productive in the fight against online crime. However, in many ways the fact that the documentary will bring the subject into the open, as oppose to creeping around the shadows, and make users more aware of the issues could have advantages in the long run. |
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